Based on these views, the civil action group „Aktionsbündnis für ein lebenswertes Bad Godesberg“ was founded at the end of 2016, and has claimed to have more than 1000 fellow campaigners now.

„It is our aim to turn Bad Godesberg into a district worth living in again“, said Klaus Schröder, co-founder and spokesperson for the action group. „We have the impression that the mood changed and that the social gap has increased.“ The initiative defines itself as non-party based - the death of Niklas Pöhler and a petition against district mayor Simone Stein-Lücke, who shows too little commitment to Bad Godesberg the action group claims, is seen as the founding impulse of the movement. The members of the alliance called again for Stein-Lücke to resign on Monday night.

Beside that, three main subjects were discussed: Safety, abuse of property and urban development. Each of the matters were discussed by the approximately 100 attendees. The matter of abuse of property by medical tourists and the safety discussion hit a nerve. The possible implementation of a visitor’s tax for medical tourists from arabic countries was debated in a heated discussion - a proposal by the action group that the city council had declined.

After Schröder’s speech about safety on the streets of Bad Godesberg, during which he talked about the (dark)black numbers in the criminal statistics and the hot spots of street crime in the town centre and demanded more police presence, video surveillance and a mobile police station, the newly elected member of the NRW parliament, Christos Katzidis (CDU), took to the stage. The action group had invited him as a guest speaker.

The former police man presented the safety aspects of the new coalition contract. According to that, the NRW government wants to employ an additional 2,300 police men and women each year over the coming five years, and also plans to unburden the members of the police force by recruiting an additional 500 administration assistants. The citizens present questioned the regional connection of the government decisions, demanded more street lights in public areas and bemoaned other grievances - for example long running court cases.

The round of talks ended with a question about Katzidis’ position in regard to his political colleague Stein-Lücke. „I can understand the criticism“, replied Katzidis. Controversial points were discussed, among others the matter of safety. He deemed it important to realize that that subject is not considered to be a task for districts or their mayors but a country-wide matter. „There is no point in attacking Mrs Stein-Lücke again and again“, he explained. Anybody in the position of the district mayor would have as little authority to make decisions in those matters.

(Original text: Dennis Sennekamp / Translation: Mareike Graepel)